Newcastle City Council will go ahead with plans to refurbish Nobbys Surf Pavilion.
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Together with Nobbys SLSC we will match $500,000 pledged by the state government - from the Port of Newcastle Community Contribution scheme - to overhaul the pavilion.
The historic building's public change rooms will be demolished and replaced by more-accessible facilities with better ventilation.
A new function room with bar and kitchen will be added and the surf club gym will be refurbished as part of the $1million improvement project.
Coastal revitalisation is one of my priorities, particularly for the social and community benefits in terms of health, increased tourism, mixed use and commercial opportunities through public events.
The new building will cater to the needs of increasing visitor numbers at Nobbys Beach and an active surf club with more than 600 members.
Up to 700 people an hour at peak times are enjoying the public domain improvements we have made at Nobbys as part of the Bathers Way project.
And only more are expected to converge on the city's most protected ocean beach when the Newcastle Beach and King Edward Pak sections of Bathers Way take shape.
The new pavilion will provide space to train surf lifesavers, much-needed storage areas for essential lifesaving equipment and a kitchen with the amenity to cater for events.
Nobbys Surf Pavilion was first established in 1923.
The masonry pavilion with a pitched gable roof was built in 1931 during the Depression.
It has become a symbol of the Hunter coast and history of the Newcastle Port.
Housed within a heritage-significant place, the building is surrounded by a coastal landscape integral to the city's heritage of coal mining, convict and Aboriginal settlement.
Surrounded by Foreshore Park, Fort Scratchley, Nobbys Lighthouse and breakwater, the area around the Pavilion is popular for walkers and joggers enjoying the views of Newcastle Harbour.